Conservation officers with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry want to remind people to hunt safely. Trespassing to hunt and shooting from a vehicle can result in significant fines and hunting licence suspensions.
Three men have been fined a total of $7,000 for a variety of offences related to hunting wild turkey out of season, trespassing and unsafe hunting practices.
On the afternoon of September 25, 2018, the OPP were contacted by a landowner who had witnessed a hunter shooting near him as he was walking on his property. The landowner then saw men running from his property dressed in hunter orange and was able to describe the vehicle they got into. OPP officers who were in the area stopped the vehicle, and conservation officers attended to take over the investigation.
The conservation officers seized a shotgun and ammunition during the investigation. Officers also found a turkey that had been dropped by the hunters as they fled the scene. With the help of the Centre of Forensic Sciences, conservation officers were able to match evidence left at the scene to the ammunition that was seized from the hunters.
Mohmed Rizwan Ingar of Cambridge pleaded guilty to trespassing for the purpose of hunting and making a false statement to a conservation officer. He was fined $1,300 for the two offences.
Kasim-Ismail Patel of Toronto pleaded guilty to hunting wild turkey during the closed season and making a false statement to a conservation officer. He was fined $1,000.
Ashifiqbal Patel of Scarborough pleaded guilty to hunting wild turkey during the closed season, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, using a firearm carelessly to hunt, trespassing for the purpose of hunting and making a false statement to a conservation officer. His total fines for the five offences were $4,850. He also received a one-year hunting licence suspension as a result of the careless hunting conviction.
Ministry conservation officers work tirelessly to help make sure we can all enjoy Ontario’s natural resources in a safe and respectful manner. To report a natural resource violation, or report that you’ve harvested an animal that you don’t have a tag for, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free anytime, or contact your local MNRF office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
We need your help to solve cases. Please visit http://Ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may have valuable information that can help.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
